Combing machine



June 18, 1940. w NASMlTH 2,204,944

CQMBING MACHINE Filed Dec. 14, 1938 1 22 V622 for:-

BJ lids fif/brnefff- Patented June 18, 1940 iCE chester,

England Application December 14, 1938, Serial No. 245,635 in GreatBritain January 5, 1%8

4 Claims.

The invention relates to combing machines for textile fibres, suchmachines being of the rectilinear type.

In the specification of Letters Patent of the United States numbered1,892,317 and 2,145,491- the references herein given are common toboththere are described and shown a pair of piecing rollers P and P, anda detaching roller D coacting with a usual combing cylinder segment,which in practice is covered with leather, to form a nip to detach atuft of combed fibres and pass the same to an end of fleece returned bythe piecing rollers for piecing.

In dealing with certain classes of fibre, and particularly oiled wool,the fibre tips tend by their nature to cling to the surface of theleather-covered segment of the combing cylinder, and thus to be carriedround thereby until the fibre tips meet an end of fleece returned forthe piecing operation, and such end does not always sweep all of themupwardly from the segment surface in piecing; but even when it does, thepiecing is not so clean and neat as would be the case if the fleece werenot depended upon for this func tion.

This will be appreciated from the sectional view shown in Figure l ofthe annexed drawing, which figure is inserted merely for the purpose ofillustrating this explanation. Piecing rollers are shown at P, P; thedetaching roller at D; the a usual top comb at C, with machine nipperjaws l, 2 which grip the fibre tuft N to be combed by the combingcylinder Y part of which consists of the leather covered segment S.Detaching roller D makes intermittent contact with the surface of thissegment to co-act therewith for the drawing of the fibre tuft N throughthe top comb C the cylinder combing being finished and the nipper havingopened to be pieced upon the end of already combed fleece T, returned byrollers P, P for the purpose. The best course for the fibre tuft towardsthe rollers P, P is that shown in broken lines; the course it tends totake in the circumstances mentioned, is that in which the tuft is shownin full lines upon the surface of the cylinder segment and this does notgive the best piecing even if the fibres round the roller P succeed inlifting all the fibre tips from the leather covered segment S.

The object of this present invention is the provision of means wherebythe lifting of all the fibre tips of the combed tuft from the cylindersegment will be assured, and to this end the invention consists in aresilient member which forms part of the combing cylinder segment whichmember is depressed by the descending detaching roller as the latterdescends to grip the fibre tips of the tuft on commencement ofdetaching, such resilient member being released and rising with thefibre tips upon it, as the continuing rotation of the combing cylinderfrees it from the pressure of the detaching roller.

The invention as carried out with simple and practical mechanicaldetails will now be fully described for a full understanding of thesame, reference being had to Figures 2, 3 and 4 of the drawing heretoannexed-Figure 1 being as stated merely illustrative and explanatory.Figure 2 is a sectional view of the device according to the invention atthe point where detaching commences; Figure 3 is a similar view at apoint just after commencement of such detaching operation, and Figure 4illustrates a modified form of the resilient member of the previousfigures.

Referring first to Figure 2, the piecing rollers v P and P are shown, asalso the detaching roller D which is lowered on to the leather coveringL of the combing cylinder segment S to form a detaching nip, for thetips of the fibre tuft N at the point shown, the combing cylinderrotating continuously in the direction of the arrow thereon. The forwardedge of the usual cylinder segment is indicated by S and in theconstruction being described according to this invention the surface ofthe leather covering L of this cylinder segment S is prolonged by a fiapF of leather which is secured upon the block or support B extendingacross the whole width of the said segment. Leather is the most suitablematerial for the flap, as, a flat piece of the same being used toconstitute such flap, by securing it at the forward end of the block orsupport at F and leaving the rear edge F free, a natural resiliency isimparted to such rear edge when depressed, round the arc of block B theflap being forced into the curved position shown in the fig- 40 ure. Theroller D, being lowered, comes upon and depresses the edge F of theleather fiap F, a continuous leather surface being thus presented atcommencement of detaching, as shown in the figure; The continuingrotation of the combing cylinder brings the rear edge F of the flap awayfrom the nip of the roller D and the said edge, no longer depressed andconstrained, rises, as seen in Figure 3, ensuring a positive lift to allthe fibre tips of the tuft towards the piecing rollers and ensuring thatno fibres shall be left adhering to the leather covering L to be pickedup by the returned end of the fleece T. It is then immaterial whetherthe tips follow the dotted path shown in Figure 1 or pass direct torollers P, P as shown by the arrow in Figure 3. On the next stroke ornip of the combing machine the still raised edge F of the flap F isagain depressed by the detaching roller D, the movements being repeated.

Only a very small extent of lift of the edge F of the flap F isnecessary, it being sufficient to allow for a lift of from one-sixteenthto oneeighth of an inch, to break the continuity of the leather surfaceconstituted by the flap and the leather cover L of the cylinder segmentS.

As stated, the leather fiap F is of sufficient resiliency to cause itsedge F to rise when undepressed. To compensate for any loss ofresiliency due to continuous working, however, it may have combinedtherewith in recesses at intervals along its length blades B ofso-called doctor steel. The provision of these blades ensures prompt andcertain lifting movement at the right instant.

In Figure 4, which is a fragmentary showing, the leather cover L of thecylinder segment S is as before, as also the leather F upon the block orsupport B. In this modification however the leather flap F is secured asa cover to the surface of the block or support B and compression springsB are provided along the width of the latter, which is pivoted at B thedescent of the detaching roller D as described with reference to Figures2 and 3 depressing B and causing the leather F, as before, to form acontinuation of the leather cover L of the cylinder segment S.

I claim:

1. In a combing machine for textile fibres, such machines having arotating combing cylinder and a segment, upon such cylinder, a detachingroller which makes intermittent contact with such segment to form adetaching nip for a tuft of fibres, a movable member forming part ofsuch segment and providing a continuation of the surface of the same atcommencement of the detaching of a tuft of fibres, and means for causingthe rise of such movable member immediately after the detaching hascommenced, with resultant lifting of the tips of the fibres from thearcuate plane of the cylinder segment, for the purpose set forth.

2. In a combing machine for textile fibres, such machine having arotating combing cylinder and a leather-covered segment upon suchcylinder, a detaching roller which makes intermittent contact with suchsegment to form a detaching nip for a tuft of fibres, and a resilientmember forming part of such segment which resilient member isconstrainable by the detaching roller at coinmencement of a detaching toform a continuation of the cylinder segment surface, and when freed fromconstraint by the rotation of the combing cylinder rises to break suchcontinuity of surface.

3. In a combining machine for textile fibres, such machine having arotating combing cylinder and a leather-covered segment upon suchcylinder, a detaching roller which makes intermittent contact with suchsegment to form a detaching nip for a tuft of fibres, and a resilientleather fiap forming part of the cylinder segment which resilientleather flap is constrainable by the detaching roller at commencement ofa detaching to form a continuation of the cylinder segment surface, andwhen freed from constraint by the rotation of the combing cylinder risesto break such continuity of surface.

4. In a combing machine for textile fibres, such machine having arotating combing cylinder and a leather-covered segment upon suchcylinder, a detaching roller which makes intermittent contact with suchsegment to form a detaching nip for a tuft of fibres, a pivotedresilient leathercovered member forming part of the cylinder segment,which pivoted resilient leather-covered member is constrainable by thedetaching roller at commencement of a detaching to form a continuationof the cylinder segment surface, and

when freed from constraint by the rotation of the combing cylinder risesto break such continuity of surface.

JOHN WILLIAM NASMITH.

